Because Apple has a proprietary interest in keeping decommissioned or counterfeit iPhones off the market, it imposes a “full-destruction” policy on its recycling partners - which means that some components that could be reused wind up destroyed instead. But there’s a commercial interest at work here, too, and - sorry Liam - handing your old devices over to the company that made them might not be the best option for you or the planet.
